Shonen
by MiraiMera
Summary: Aged 20, Miki battles his demons as he keeps his atrocious past hidden from those around him. New to Konoha, the barrier around his heart slowly breaks as Narutotachi teach him to be human again. Monsters are in the eye of the beholder. SasuNaru, KakaIru
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: This story will probably have a lot of homosexual relationships and such, maybe yaoi, maybe yuri, maybe both, maybe wild threesomes. Whatever. Just saying, if you're offended by the non-heteroness, then you don't want to be reading this, I'm sure. I don't want to give away pairings or the story, because I don't even know what they'll be yet, so…

Reviews appreciated!

Chapter 1

Blood spattered onto the mask of the ANBU squad leader as he completed his mission, leaving a great gash across the now deceased target's neck. Then he disappeared, leading his unit back into the night.

"So the mission went according to plan?" Tsunade-sama sat behind her desk in the Hokage Tower, staring intently at the young man in front of her. Nearly twenty years old, though he looked no older than sixteen, with shaggy auburn hair, a small frame, and brooding black eyes. Brooding black eyes that reminded the Hokage of the Uchiha boy.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. None my men sustained any injuries, and the target and his accomplices were eliminated without detection." Tsunade noted that he even sounded much younger, though he spoke authoritatively.

"Alright then, you're dismissed, Kusanagi-san, until we need your unit again."

With a bow, Kusanagi left the Hokage to her work and proceeded out of the office, nodding in greeting to Shizune as he passed.

Tsunade waited until she believed the boy was out of earshot, then called her assistant.

"Shizune, what do you make of that kid?" Tsunade asked. There was just something about him that she didn't like, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Miki Kusanagi was not a Konoha native, rather, he came to the village seeking citizenship about a year ago. After being scrutinized and observed for several weeks, it was apparent that he was harmless and honestly wanted to become a citizen. But it was so strange that such a highly skilled ninja would just waltz into their village like that. And those eyes of his, just like Sasuke's…there was something more to him than he let on. In Konoha, there was always something more.

"What do you mean, Tsunade-sama? I mean, he's one of our best ANBU, and his men respect him. In a year he's gained that kind of rank - it's amazing." Shizune answered, as she plopped yet more documents onto the ever-growing pile on the Hokage's desk.

"Just, something about him bothers me…but I suppose you're right. He hasn't caused any trouble, and he's a valuable ninja." The Hokage looked gloomily toward the mounting paperwork in front of her as she spoke. _Oh, this'll be loads of fun…I should have just run away from Jiraiya and this Hokage crap when I had the chance…_

"You just don't like the strong, silent types, that's all, Tsunade-sama." The dark haired assistant grinned when she was answered with a glare from the other woman.

When he found his way into the center of the village, it was already bustling. The marketplace was loud and crammed, people were running all over taking care of errands and greeting friends. Miki played with the Konoha forehead protector tied loosely around his neck as he watched three of the genin rookies meet up together. "Hn." _Friends…_He noticed that he knew who one of them was. A blond boy in startlingly orange clothes. Uzumaki Naruto, the ostracized trouble maker.

Being an ANBU squad leader, he learned of the Kyuubi and it's Jinchuuriki, the blond boy he was now watching. Even if he didn't have access to such information, Miki likely would have figured it out anyway. He often saw how some of the villagers treated Naruto, and heard the rumors they spread about him. But it seems that he was beginning to gain their respect, anyway. At that thought, Miki smiled.

The young man was jarred from his thoughts when a strong hand landed on his shoulder. "Kusanagi-san, I was hoping to run into you today. There's a few people I'd like you to meet."

Mildly surprised, Miki turned around to be face-to-face, or face-to-chest, rather, with the silver haired jounin, Hatake Kakashi. He knew the Copy-nin from some missions, and knew of him before ever moving to Konoha. "Kakashi-sensei, ohayo gozaimasu."

"No need to be so formal. Loosen up a little." The jounin, obviously smiling gleefully under his mask, hardly waited for Miki to stop speaking before physically dragging him over to his pupils.

"Kakashi-sensei! You told us to meet you here twenty minutes ago!" Naruto yelled and pointed accusingly at his teacher.

"Well, I'm not as late as usual...besides, there's someone I want you kids to meet. This is Kusanagi-san, a friend of mine." Kakashi put his arm around the smaller man's shoulder, no doubt to prevent his escape. How the jounin could be so casual and manipulative like this, Miki would never know.

"H-Hi. Nice to meet you all. I take it you're his genin team?" Miki tried to act cool and not murder his comrade for unexpectedly throwing him into this. Meeting people - hell, talking to people, was just not his strong point. Even if they were just little kids. It just always gave him this feeling that they would know all his secrets if they looked at him hard enough.

"Yup! And I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Soon to be the next Hokage!" The boy beamed, and by his stance and grin, you could tell he meant it.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, and this," she briefly gestured to the dark haired boy next to her, "is Uchiha Sasuke." Said boy answered with an unintelligible grunt and what might possibly have been a glare in Miki's direction.

Naruto leaned in mischievously, but barely lowered his voice before asking, "Hey, hey, Kusanagi-san, are you Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend?"

At that, Miki visibly paled, wondered truly what deity or evil spirit had it in for him, and hoped that there was someplace he could go, curl into a ball, and die. Kakashi remained as cheerful as ever, possibly more-so, finding this amusing, no doubt. "Naruto, I know Kusanagi-san's pretty, but I'm sure he wouldn't like you referring to him as anyone's girlfriend. Especially mine." Wait, did Kakashi just call him pretty? _I'm gonna kill that bastard!_

Miki could swear that he saw Sasuke's eye twitching as understanding dawned on Naruto's face. "No! That's the second time! First Haku, now you?"

"You keep finding guys pretty, dobe, is there something you want to tell us?" The Uchiha's expression was something between frustration, with his eye still twitching, and arrogance, with a well suited smirk. And that voice of seemed even deeper than Miki's, so it may not have been strange that he was mistaken for a girl.

"Well that hell is that supposed to mean, bastard?" The blond rounded on the other boy, who remained stoic, as his twitch calmed.

"You know exactly what it's supposed to mean, usuratonkachi." The smirk only grew bigger, as did Naruto's apparent frustration.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you sure that these two should be on the same team?" Miki's color returned, and he was watching the tension grow between the genins.

"Of course, I mean, it's not like they're going to kill each other…yet."

Kakashi had insisted that Miki join the team in going out for ramen, and he only just got home, late in the afternoon. He had no doubt that the silver haired man was just trying to get him to open up and socialize, Kakashi had probably noticed that no one knew him. In fact, his apartment had only the bare minimum, because he had no intention of entertaining guests.

Some of his squad members didn't even know who he was, because he refused to take off the ANBU mask in front of them if it was during a mission or training. Not that they seemed to care, because he was an excellent leader. Miki would rather fade into obscurity than deal with the complications of relationships. Not that he was adverse to friendship and love and such, but that it hurt to much to try when it was all in vain anyway.

He came here, to Konohagakure, to start a new life, even if it meant not entirely living. Miki was not about to destroy what little he had in a futile attempt to get more. He would have to settle for this the way things were now. Even if he secretly hated himself, more than anyone could ever know.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: Probably yaoi/yuri/shonen-ai/shoujo-ai - I just haven't decided yet. Also, I don't want anyone discarding this fic as a lame "let's invent a character and pair him/her up with someone" story. I have no plans on Miki getting "paired" at all, for the record. He's actually supposed to be an enigma, and sort of symbolic, I suppose - but for now, he's just sort of there, and I don't want to give anything away. Thank you.

Reviews much appreciated! I'd love to know what you think so far, and if you have any suggestions…

Chapter 2

_Running…Pain…Screaming…Crying…Jounin pursuers…Grass forehead protectors glinting in the moonlight…Flying kunai…And so much blood._

Miki shot up in bed, breathing heavily and sweating. He could feel his heart pound against his chest as he glanced around the room, forgetting where he was and expecting to be attacked. As he sat there, gripping the sheets with white knuckles, Miki slowly understood what happened. Though he could not remember what he had just dreamt, he knew well enough what it must have been. He knew it was that time before he came here. A time he'd rather not think about that still haunts him in his sleep.

The redhead sighed and unsteadily got out of bed. He headed over to the window and opened it, leaning out into the cool night breeze to calm himself. If anyone had seen him, they might have noticed the young man was shaking…

A few minutes later, Miki found himself on the training grounds at the edge of the village, having dressed for the day since he knew he wouldn't get back to sleep. Jumping from tree to tree, through the air, and somersaulting as he threw kunai's and shuriken in quick succession, Miki practiced his acrobatic skill and aim. As elite a ninja as he was, it was not surprising that each projectile hit its mark. Except for one. One that once he landed, he found resting between the fingers of a certain silver haired shinobi.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" Miki eyed the older man almost suspiciously, since he seemed to have a knack for trouble.

The Copy-nin smiled and threw the kunai back to it's owner, which was effortlessly caught.

* * *

_Damn that Kakashi…He's got some nerve! One of these days I'm gonna get him, damnit…_Miki was once again strolling through the market place, having finished his morning workout, as he mulled over scenarios in which he mercilessly tortured Kakashi. By tearing his precious hentai novels apart. Page. By. Page. Right in front of him.

It was just getting good when he heard a commotion a little ways ahead of him. It seemed some hotshot felt like picking on a kid. A blond kid wearing orange.

"Damn demon brat!" Said hotshot loomed over Naruto and was about to backhand the boy across the face, before his arm was suddenly stopped in mid-strike.

Between Naruto and his aggressor stood Miki, coolly blocking the attack with one bandaged arm, facing the man. His narrowed eyes were frightening, as he bored into the much larger man's soul like death.

"Be thankful that I let you go with only this to remember me by, you wretch." The voice that came when he spoke seemed far different, far more fearsome and intimidating than Naruto would have believed from meeting the man yesterday. And then without any reservation, Miki simply grabbed the other man by his still outstretched arm, spun around, and broke it with a deafening snap. The man cried out in pain, and then cradled his newly deformed limb with his other hand, as Miki continued to stare at him in his cold, deadly way.

"Naruto-kun, let's go. I believe you have to meet up with your team?" The young man's voice was still cold and frightening, but when Naruto looked into his eyes, he could see that they weren't deadly anymore. For a moment, he had been afraid, but now he knew he had nothing to fear from this older boy in front of him.

The blond nodded, and with one last glare, Miki walked with him out of the marketplace and toward the bridge, where he knew the rest of Team Seven would be waiting. Except for that bastard Kakashi.

"Hey, Niisan, why are you following me?" Naruto asked as he walked leisurely with his hands behind his head. He briefly glanced up at the man next to him, who he realized wasn't that much taller than him.

"Kakashi-sensei asked me to take care of you guys while he was away for a bit. I'll be overseeing your training and missions until he returns." Miki sighed. Kakashi _and_ the Hokage conspired on this one. From the jounin he expected it, but not from her. ANBU aren't supposed to baby-sit…

Maybe they didn't want him to be an ANBU captain, or ANBU at all anymore. It could be why they would push a baby-sitting mission like this on him. _I shouldn't be surprised, they probably don't want a non-native leading an ANBU squad. They probably want me on a shorter leash, incase I'm some kind of spy._ _I don't really blame them…_

"So why was that guy picking on you?" Miki had an idea why - just the general prejudice some still carried for the Jinchuuriki. But maybe talking about it could help ease the pain he knew that the boy must feel. He knew how that kind of prejudice felt, too.

Naruto's expression just barely darkened, but remained mostly cheerful. "Nothing much, he just thought I bumped into him or something. Thanks a lot for your help, too! That was pretty cool back there, I couldn't even see you move! You were as fast as Kakashi-sensei!"

"No problem. And for the record, I'm sure that Kakashi-sensei is much faster than I am. He has to be, in order to perform the Chidori." _So, he denies it and changes the subject. I probably shouldn't push it._

The bridge came into view, and Sasuke and Sakura were standing on it, waiting. Naruto ran ahead to greet "Sakura-chan", as Sasuke glared at Miki.

"Morning. Kakashi-sensei asked me to handle your training and missions for a while until he returns from his own mission. Today we'll train, especially since I'd like to see what skills you have anyway." Miki stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking almost as bored as Kakashi usually does as he explained what was going on. Then, he waited for a response, even if it was just a grunt, to tell him that they understood. But they didn't seem to. Instead, one of them stared, while the other glared.

"What?" It was all he could say. They were looking at him like he had three heads, maybe four. What else was he supposed to say?

"Listen, he's really strong! I saw him fight today, and I couldn't even see him move he's so fast! It'll be fun!" Naruto explained.

"Hn."

* * *

"Alright, all three of you come at me." Miki stood in the center of the training area that he was at hours earlier and prepared himself for attack. At first, the genins seemed taken aback that he would fight three on one, but now they readied themselves as well. And so he waited patiently for their move.

He first dodged a kunai from behind, sidestepping as it flew by his head by inches, only to drop to the ground and trip a charging Naruto. On his other side, Sasuke unleashed his fireball, which he narrowly avoided by flipping out of the way. Landing on all fours, he sprang at the Uchiha and suddenly appeared behind him. Sasuke spun around to plant a kick in his side, but Miki grabbed his foot and flipped him through the air, before effortlessly spinning and also flipping Sakura, who lunged at him from behind. Both Sasuke and Sakura landed with a thud just feet from each other within seconds.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto's voice carried across the clearing as his dozens of replicas appeared out of thin air. Miki's eyes widened just slightly at the scene before him, as more and more Narutos surrounded him. _I didn't think it was possible for a genin to use Kage Bunshin…Amazing.._

The clones charged him, and he defeated them one by one with only a few strikes and movements apiece. The young man's circular movement kept him going as he saved up his own chakra and used his attackers' against them. Many were thrown several feet into the air before disappearing in a cloud smoke, and soon, none were left. As the last clone disappeared, and Naruto looked on in disbelief, Miki turned only partway to meet the handful of kunai that Sasuke hurled toward him, pulled out one of his own in a flash, and used it to parry each of them deftly.

Upon turning back around, Miki faced Naruto hurtling toward him, screaming, Rasengan ready. And he grabbed the boy's outstretched wrist, twisted it, and pulled him upwards to hang limply in his control as the orb of chakra dissipated. Looking into the boy's eyes, he smiled and gently let him down, and turned to the others. Sasuke and Sakura appeared dumbstruck. It was over, and they knew it. "You all did well. I wouldn't expect such advanced techniques from some jounin, none the less from you genin. I'm thoroughly impressed. Why don't we take a break for a few minutes?"

He sat them all together under the shade of a tree and rested against it. Again, they were staring at him funny - the you-have-three-heads kind of funny. "What?"

"It's just that we didn't think you'd be so strong, Kusanagi-san." Sakura answered, her voice soft and almost swooning. Such a pretty, yet powerful young man this person was, he almost rivaled Sasuke in her mind. Almost.

Miki sighed. "They always say not to judge a book by its cover, right?" He was met with skeptical looks, mostly from the Uchiha. "Anyway, just call me Miki." Why he said that, he wasn't sure. It was just another way of letting down his defenses to be hurt again, but he couldn't stop himself. Formality kept people distant, but he just, maybe intentionally, brought these kids a little closer. The young man supposed that he trusted these kids, for at least one of them he knew was a kindred spirit.

Sasuke and Naruto stood up and walked together back into the clearing, taking up stances without a word. It seemed the boys knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking. Miki remained sitting with the pink haired kunoichi and observed the ensuing spar, which he found was surprisingly competitive.

As if reading his mind, Sakura said to him, "They're always like that. They act like they hate each other in public, but even when they spar and fight, they're actually really close. Neither of them will ever admit that, though. Sometimes I'm even jealous of Naruto, because of his friendship with Sasuke." The girl closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.

"I take it you like him? Sasuke, I mean." Miki was mildly interested in the dynamics of this group, because these kids were unlike many people he'd ever met. Very unique, to say the least.

"Well, I don't know why I started talking about that, but yes, I do. So does every other girl in this village, but he can't be bothered with any of them, not even me." Sakura seemed slightly embarrassed at first, but then became more and more depressed with each word.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura, you're intelligent and pretty - you'll find someone. Right now just concentrate on the important things, like your friends. Boyfriends will come and go, but your friends won't." Miki smiled to the girl next to him before returning his attention to the spar the boys were still engaged in. Sakura managed to turn an interesting shade of pink to match her hair and stuttered a meek "thanks".

The ANBU captain was interested in what Sakura had to say about the two boys' relationship. As he wondered about it, he realized that there was probably more to it than it seemed. Again, he found that he was smiling to himself.

* * *

"One of the villagers filed a complaint against you this morning, accusing you of assault and battery. Explain." Miki was once again standing in the Hokage's office, while Tsunade explained why he was there.

The Hokage stood over her desk, leaning imperiously on it, expression dark, waiting for an answer. The one she got, however, she did not expect. Miki's expression became equally as menacing, as he clenched his bandaged fists by his sides and replied, "I should go finish that wretch for having the gall to file a complaint. The worthless coward was assaulting a boy, when I stepped in to teach him a lesson." Again, it was that cold, deadly voice that left no room for argument. Tsunade would be lying if she said that she wasn't at all intimidated.

"Who was he attacking? And why?"

"Uzumaki Naruto. And you know why." His eyes narrowed as he ground out his words to the person standing before him.

_Naruto? The villagers were picking on him again…but why was this man defending him? He obviously knows about the Kyuubi - maybe he doesn't care?_ The woman stared at Miki and scrutinized him, somewhat suspicious, yet hopeful. It would be a relief to know that there was at least one more person in this village who wasn't an ignorant fool.

"And it shouldn't be difficult to understand why I couldn't just stand by and watch as someone was abused just because of who or what he is. That is something the boy has no control over, and I'll be damned if I let those fools persecute him." With that, the ninja turned on his heel and stormed out of the office, leaving a very shocked Hokage behind.

_No one ever protected me…but I'll protect him…he can't share the same fate…_Blood boiling and lost in his own thoughts, Miki hardly noticed as he bumped into another man, just outside Tsunade's office. When he looked up, a surprised Iruka greeted him awkwardly. "A-Ano, Kusanagi-san. H-Hello."

At the sight of the frazzled teacher, the redhead snapped out of his silent rage and returned an equally awkward greeting. "I-Iruka-sensei, sumimasen…how are you?"

"I'm well, and I was just wondering if you would like to join me for ramen, if it's not to much trouble. I'd like to discuss something with you." Iruka smiled, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. Miki raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.

"Eh, ramen? Alright.."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: You should know by now - I like the gay. W00t. Anyway, offended by the non-straightness? Go home. We don't want you here. I don't really plan on having this be graphic or anything anyway. I think. shrug Maybe after the next chapter I'll rewrite the summary, so it doesn't suck ass. Good day.

I like reviews. Give them to me.

Chapter 3

At the Ichiraku ramen stand, the two ninjas sat next to each other as they enjoyed their meals. Between mouthfuls, Miki glanced over at his companion and asked, "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, it's a little embarrassing, really. I overheard you and Hokage-sama just before we bumped into each other…I just wanted to ask you about that. See, I've been keeping an eye on Naruto for a long time and I really care about him, so when I heard that you defended him, I guess I wanted to know why. I suppose I'm just curious. I hope you don't mind, Kusanagi-san." Iruka sighed just a little, and poked at his noodles with his chopsticks, swirling them in the water.

"I don't mind at all. It's just that I think it's terrible what they do to him, for something that is out of his control. No one deserves to be called a monster or a demon." Iruka noticed the sadness flashing briefly behind the other man's eyes, leaving them emptier looking than they were a second ago. And considering that those black orbs were so cold and empty to begin with, with was a pathetic sight.

"You know what it feels like, don't you?" Iruka's voice was soft and sympathetic, almost pitying. This man before him seemed to truly understand Naruto's pain somehow. The chuunin knew it had to do with his past life, the mysterious one Miki had before coming here. No one, as far as Iruka knew, knew anything about the man, because he kept everything a secret, even from the Hokage, after arriving in Konoha.

Miki looked back at him, with an expression between anger and pain, because while he was sad, while he was always sad, he was angry, furious even, at himself for letting his mask down, and allowing someone to see the truth - even if it was only part of it. A faint snap was heard as the chopsticks that lay forgotten in his hand broke in his fist, and Miki was brought back to reality. Whether he wanted to or not, he admitted to the truth. "Yes." _But you don't need to know why. If you did…it would just happen all over again. If anyone knew, it would just be the same…"_I came here because I was betrayed and run out of my old village. Naruto and I are alike, in that we were both persecuted without good reason. And if anyone treats him badly in front of me, I'll be sure to stop them. I barely know him, but knowing his pain is enough." He was talking so softly as this point that he hoped the man next to him couldn't hear him, but he knew well enough that it was probably in vain anyway.

Leaving money on the counter, Miki stood and silently took his leave, and Iruka had the sense to let him do so. The sun was already setting and darkness was beginning to fall over the village as the ANBU captain made his way back to his small apartment. Once inside, he went straight into the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror, staring intently into it, with dark, sad eyes. His appearance, he noted, _was_ feminine, having slender limbs, short stature, and a womanly face. He sighed heavily as he slowly untied the forehead protector from around his neck, and when he pulled it away, it revealed a thick, dark scar running straight across his throat. Miki traced it with the fingers of his free hand, and the other placed the forehead protector down on the bathroom counter with a clink. "I think…maybe it was too bad that I survived…"

* * *

"Hey, you got a mission today, and since Kakashi still won't be back for a while, I'll be going with you." Miki joined Team Seven already gathered on the bridge. It had been a few days ago that he began substituting for the team's jounin leader, and now he was used to meeting up with his three charges. "It maybe a few days at the least, so when I'm done, you'll have to go pack up, because we leave immediately. We're going to be additional security for a politician and his family at their home, since he seems to have made some enemies. Really though, it should be a piece of cake."

"A politician? That sounds like more than a D or C-class mission, Miki. He could have yakuza and ninja attempting to assassinate him for all we know." Sakura looked confusedly up at her temporary commander, a bit suspicious.

"You're absolutely right, Sakura. Politicians make plenty of powerful enemies that often do resort to using shinobi for assignations. This is actually a B-class mission, but I don't think that will be a problem for you, since I doubt we'll encounter any ninja like those I've heard you did in the Wave Country." While he had validated her, Sakura noticed that Miki seemed strangely impassive and uninterested even in what he was saying. She wondered if the man was feeling alright, but thought it better not to ask.

"You…heard about what happened in the Wave Country, Niisan?" Naruto looked slightly panicked and embarrassed as he spoke, and Miki could swear he saw Sasuke shift uncomfortably where he stood from the corner of his eye and…was he blushing?

"I heard that your team unexpectedly had to face an S-class missing-nin and his accomplice, and elite ninja with a Bloodline Limit from the Village of the Mist. I imagine it was a frightening experience, but it's truly amazing that all of you made it back alive. You're impressive shinobi, to have pulled that off." No, he hadn't imagined it. Sasuke _was_ blushing…as was Naruto. Something he said clearly triggered this, and Miki figured that something happened back there that both were pretty embarrassed about. Yet, Sakura remained oblivious, and basked in his compliments of her team. _So, Sakura doesn't know…must mean that something happened between Sasuke and Naruto, huh?_ And no, he was also not imagining it when he noticed that the two boys now suddenly refused to look at each other. _Oh dear…_

* * *

An hour later the four were walking past the village gates in a comfortable silence. Naruto appeared content to hum to himself as they made their way down the road further and further from their home. Sakura occasionally tried to start a conversation with Sasuke, who more or less politely ignored her. Well, as politely as you can ignore someone, anyway. Miki trudged onward with his hands shoved in his pockets, feeling empty, but enjoying the change in atmosphere from the bustling village. While he may have been with a bunch of odd, hyperactive kids, he could still manage. They didn't bother him so much, because at least they were still young enough to not be tainted by hate and prejudice, as some of the villagers had been. Miki assumed that neither Sakura nor Sasuke knew the truth about Naruto, and he suspected that even if they did, that they wouldn't care. Naruto was lucky to have true friends like that. They definitely loved him for him.

They reached the client's home just after the sun began to set. The introduction was brief, as they met the client, a middle-aged man named Nakamura, his wife, Asako, and their two children, Nanami and Hiroshi. Naruto played a bit with the two children, who only reached his waist, before the family went to bed. At that point, the four met on the roof of the sizable house and stood guard, periodically walking the grounds for signs of intruders.

"Sasuke, Naruto, why don't you two go rest, and Sakura and I will finish this shift. We'll wake you when it's your turn."

"'Kay, Niisan," Naruto didn't bother to stifle his yawn, "I was getting tired anyway. Come on, Sasuke-teme, I know you need your _beauty sleep_."

Sasuke snorted. "Shut up, dobe. The only thing that needs beauty sleep around here is your ugly mug."

Bickering the entire way, the boys walked off to their room that they would be sharing for the night. Naturally, Sakura was entitled to her own room since she was the only girl, and Miki had his own, as well. Lucky for them their client was stinking rich.

The rest of the first shift went uneventfully, and Miki disappeared inside to find the two boys and have them take over. When he looked into their room, however, he was mildly surprised and damn amused. The boys lay sprawled across their futons, spooning. Naruto appeared to be resting on Sasuke's shoulder, one arm draped over the boy's chest, while the Uchiha seemed to have his arms looped around Naruto's waist.

"Hey, lovebirds, I hate to bother you, but it's time for your shift." The redhead's smirk was priceless, as were the faces of the two he just rudely woke up. Oh, they were pissed. Probably more embarrassed, though.

Miki ignored the shouting and futile attempts at explanations as he headed to the guest room he was designated. Inside, he carefully unwrapped the bandages that went almost all the way up each arm, where there were countless scars, from cuts and scratches, even some burns. He untied his forehead protector and placed it next to his futon, and proceeded to change into his pajamas in the dark.

Sasuke stood outside his door, trying his best to remain undetected as he spied on his commander. He didn't trust him, because there was something strange about him, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he watched. The Uchiha knew his secret.

* * *

The following day, the four joined the Nakamura family at breakfast and ate in unusual silence. Sakura believed that maybe Miki really hadn't been feeling well, and asked him about it.

"I'm quite alright, Sakura, thank you." He was melancholy and distant, something that the girl attributed to the kinds of mood swings he had. Though generally, he was melancholy and distant, anyway.

Sasuke kept giving him that cold stare of his, less of a glare, but sort of intimidating none the less. How a kid could intimidate him, Miki wasn't sure. He figured it was just the attitude. _Something about that kid, it just makes me feel like he sees right through me._ His fist involuntarily clenched and he feared his heart might have skipped a beat as he thought, _What is he does see right through me?_ "Excuse me, I'm going to go check the grounds." Miki abruptly stood and left, panic rising as he darted out of the building.

Sasuke sighed at the hurried exit of the squad leader, "We should probably get to work, too. Can't have that show-off doing everything." He slowly stood and waited for Naruto to take the bait, which wasn't long, before heading out after the ANBU captain.

"Yeah! That guy makes us look bad, doing everything like it's easy!" The orange-clad boy followed, with a resigned Sakura behind him.

"I'm going to go catch up with Miki, you guys keep an eye on the house." Sasuke leapt away from them, into the trees and toward the outskirts of the property. The boy tracked his commander and found the man crouching on one of the fence posts that lined the perimeter of the estate. His presence was not undetected, however, as Miki stood up from his position, still looking outward from the property.

"Yes, Sasuke?" An empty, cold voice.

"What are you?" Equally empty and cold. "What are you really? A missing-nin? A spy?" Miki could hear Sasuke draw a weapon, and hold it ready.

"Would you believe that I'm just a refugee, looking for a home?"

"Refugee?" Sasuke raised one eyebrow and gripped his kunai tighter.

"I take it you saw…otherwise you wouldn't have confronted me." Miki brought up his bandaged hand and looked sadly at it, then continued. "In my old village," In one swift motion, the redhead tore his forehead protector off of his neck, and spun around to face Sasuke, bearing the horrible scar across his throat. "I was attacked and left for dead. I don't know how I survived…My throat was slit and I bled into unconsciousness, and then I awoke healed and bandaged where I had been left."

Sasuke gaped at the scar - he hadn't gotten a good look at it in the dark the night before, but seeing it now was absolutely bone-chilling.

"I have my reasons, Sasuke. I would appreciate if you kept this to yourself." Miki tied the Konoha forehead protector back around his neck and sighed. "Often, I wish I hadn't survived."

* * *

"They're on a mission?" Kakashi stood in front of Tsunade, having just returned from his mission. He wanted to return to his team and relieve Miki of his baby-sitting - er, duties.

"Yes, but feel free to go join them, since all you do around here is read hentai and cause trouble. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the help, anyway."

"Sure, see ya, Hokage-sama." The silver-haired jounin vanished from the office.

* * *

A large cloud of chakra smoke coming from the house spurred Sasuke and Miki into action as they bolted toward it. "What's going on?" Sasuke asked, dashing alongside the man next to him.

"Must be assassins - get ready, Sasuke." Miki pulled out a kunai with each hand and increased his running speed until he nearly fazed out of sight, the dark-haired boy next to him barely keeping up as he activated the Sharingan.

At the scene, Naruto and Sakura stood outside the entrance, weapons drawn, blocking the dozen of ninja assassins from entering. Naruto summoned a handful of shadow clones to push the attackers back, but they were easily destroyed. _Jounin? But I was expecting genin, chuunin at the most…wait…_Miki's eyes widened as he came to a halt and his breath hitched. He recognized those men. And those forehead protectors. _Grass jounin…No…_

_"Come back you, you damn abomination! We're not done with you!" Hidden Village of the Grass jounin pursued a teen boy with long auburn hair flowing wildly behind him as he frantically ran. He was bloody and bruised, and gripped broken ribs as he leapt from tree to tree as quickly as possible. Reflecting the moonlight, his forehead protector showed that he was a Grass ninja as well._

_He cried out but continued to run as a kunai lodged itself behind his shoulder, and another in the small of his back. Several more flew by him, leaving gashes across his flesh as they streaked by. "Those…goddamn…bastards…" The boy was breathing heavily and panting, while blood dripped from his mouth. "Wretches…filthy...wretches…" The teen then collapsed, falling from the tree branch he'd landed on to the cold hard ground below._

_"Listen, you godforsaken freak," One of the jounin kicked the crumpled, bloody mass on the ground. "We're not done teaching you your lesson…" If the boy had been able to open his eyes, he would have seen the most disgusting smirk he'd ever laid eyes upon. But at this point, he didn't have to energy to do even that._

"Miki! What the hell is wrong with you! Wake up!" Sasuke yelled to the frightened man next to him, pulling him out of his memories with a start.

Miki's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched, and his teeth bared. His entire body trembled with anger now, when just a moment ago it had trembled with fear. He looked absolutely monstrous. People called Naruto a demon? No, right now, _he_ was the demon. He wanted revenge. A few moments more and he had collected himself into the cold, frightening ANBU captain that he was. The anger still surged, but he would not let it get the better of him. "Sasuke, join Naruto and Sakura. Protect the client and his family no matter what." Of course, it was that terrifying voice again that seemed so unlike him. Times like these made him wonder if he had split personalities. But now wasn't the time for that.

Sasuke nodded, then darted to his teammates' sides.

At this point, the Grass ninja seemed to have noticed that there were other shinobi there besides the blond and kunoichi, but before they could even notice him, Miki dashed out of sight, hurling a stream of kunai in his wake. Instantaneously, four of the intruders slumped over, dead, while more were knocked unconscious in the blur of movement following. A few more suddenly had their throats slit or necks broken, while the last, except for the leader, had an arm dislocated and were then thrown bodily into the air, knocking another out with them. The leader, instead, found himself cornered with a kunai pressing against his throat. All this had only taken a few moments, and Miki remained unseen until now, as Team Seven gaped at his amazing show of skill.

Covered in gleaming bloodspatter, Miki glared up at the man before him, looking absolutely murderous. "Hello, Hideki." He said, coolly.

The ninja called Hideki's eyes widened to an impossible size. "You…You're supposed to be dead…! You _are_ a monster!"

"Good to see you remember me, _love_." Miki spat the last word out with such hatred that it made the genin standing a few feet away cringe.

"Go to hell."

Miki's eyes narrowed further. "Not without you to keep me company."

"I'll have to pass on that offer. Although, I'll have to see to it that I finish what I started a year ago, you goddamn abomination." The man then unexpectedly fired three long needles from a mechanism at his wrist, aiming directly for Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. As the projectiles flew towards their hearts, Miki panicked and dashed after them. In an instant, he was standing directly in front of Naruto, arms out, gripping a needle in each hand in front of Sasuke and Sakura, with the last lodged in his chest.

For a moment he just stood there, wondering if he actually made it. When the shooting pain in his chest told him he did, the ANBU captain dropped the needles in his hands and sunk to his hands and knees. His vision was quickly becoming blurry, and the world began to spin before him. _They were poisoned…of course…_

"M-Miki!" Sakura dropped next to him and cradled him to her. He seemed warm, and after checking his temperature, she was sure he was burning up. _What a fast acting poison…Oh god…_

"That godforsaken freak of nature won't last for long, I promise. In the meantime, I have a mission to complete, if you don't mind." Hideki casually grabbed one of the kunai jutting out of his deceased subordinate's neck as he walked toward the team and their incapacitated leader. He charged at Naruto, intending to slice open the boy's chest, when he was once again intercepted by the trembling redhead, who had placed himself in front of the boy and taken the blow at full strength.

"Why do you keep getting in my way! Stay on the ground, where you belong, you damn degenerate monster!" The larger man kneed the other hard in the gut, causing him to crumple back to the ground with a pained cry. "I'll deal with you later."

"Stop it."

"What?" The Grass jounin looked skeptically at Naruto, waiting for a reply. However, he hadn't noticed the subtle changes happening in the blond boy as he stood before him.

"Stop. Stop treating him like that. He's not a monster." Naruto stared at the ground, the knuckles of his clenched fists turning whiter and whiter, as a few wisps of red chakra spiraled loosely around his frame. By the time he looked up, glaring threateningly at the Grass ninja, his eyes were no longer his own - instead, they were red and catlike, they were the eyes of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.


	4. Chapter 4

_AngelsWind_ and _Koharu Kage,_ thanks for your comments, I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying the story!

_Koharu Kage_, I never thought about that side of Sasuke, and I hope you don't mind if I try to add that to his character later on, and as for Miki, you'll just have to wait and see.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: Okay, so it's a wee bit violent. Nothing you can't handle. Mostly just warning you people about the gay, which will likely run rampant throughout this fic. If you don't want my yaoi cooties (or yuri germs), then run away. Far. Far. Away.

Reviews are my lifeblood. Give.

Chapter 4

Naruto roared into action, lunging over the curled-up figure at his feet, straight at the towering villain that was Hideki, stunning his comrades with his sheer audacity. However, Sasuke and Sakura were much more stunned when the Jinchuuriki's fist connected with the ninja's face and sent the man soaring backward through the air, coming to a sliding finish several feet away upon the grass. While Naruto's attention focused solely on the offender, the other two children huddled around Miki, who was still unmoving on the ground.

Sakura once again took him into her arms and felt his forehead as she attempted to gently stir him. The man was sweating and feverish, and his breathing was shallow. The poison had spread fast, she knew, and the shinobi wouldn't last long without proper care._ And he's bleeding, a lot._ "Miki, Miki, wake up.." She whispered, and softly slapped his cheek a few times, drawing him back into awareness with a groan.

"Both of you…inside…incase there are reinforcements. Protect the clients," said Miki wearily as he forced himself weakly to his feet. When he noticed that the two younger shinobi remained gaping at him, he added, "Now!" By the time the two dashed inside, Miki looked up to see Naruto and a shadow clone forming a blue, swirling ball of chakra between them that he recognized as the blond's Rasengan, as his opponent got back to his feet looking angrier than before.

"How _dare _you, you little brat! I'll make you pay for tha-" The Grass jounin was cut off as Naruto darted furiously toward him, thrusting the blue mass into his gut, snarling.

As the man inched back slowly against his will, Naruto growled at him, "The only monster here, _is you_…" The attack overpowered him, and Hideki spun through the air and into the wooden wall far behind him, cracking it and slumping to the ground, inert.

Miki realized that he'd been clutching his chest for those last few moments, partially out of fear, partially from the pain, and partially to slow the bleeding. The fear part was over now, as it appeared Naruto had quickly handled the assassin leader by himself, and it was doubtful that there were anymore ninja around just now, since there was no commotion coming from the house. But the pain and the bleeding - that was another story. The man winced and stumbled as he made his way over to the blond boy. Who, though he was shorter, caught him and propped him up and helped him along back to the house. Miki hadn't noticed that Naruto's eyes were back to normal now, or that they had ever changed, for that matter, as he stumbled along with his charge.

Inside, they found Sasuke, Sakura, and a masked, silver-haired shinobi with an unconscious Grass ninja slung over each shoulder standing in the hallway.

"Kakashi…?" And Miki collapsed. The jounin dropped the dead weights to the floor and sprinted to the unconscious man's side.

Kakashi gently turned the younger man onto his back and checked his vital signs, before gathering him into his arms and carrying him off to one of the guest rooms of the Nakamura home. Sakura and Naruto started to follow after him when Sasuke blocked them and strongly suggested that the three of them clean up the mess outside and keep an eye on the clients. While they were worried for their older friend, the Uchiha left no room for argument. After all, Kakashi could take care of it. They hoped so, anyway.

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he looked at the bleeding, unconscious ninja in front of him. Miki lay on the futon, unmoving, as the Copy-nin said, "I'm sorry Kusanagi-san, but you're not going to like this…" Kakashi pulled a kunai from his holster as he kneeled next to the redhead and brought it to the man's shirt, then carefully cut down the center and removed it from him completely. Underneath, there was an already tightly bandaged chest beneath a fishnet undershirt, though both layers were already torn and bloodstained… 

Once he was finished bandaging the ANBU captain, Kakashi stepped out of the room and sighed once again. He spoke briefly to Nakamura before finding his team outside, as they cleared up the corpses littering the yard.

"Yo," He said, getting their attention. "We're leaving, now. I already explained to the client that Kusanagi-san needs medical attention. Another team will take over for us when we return."

"Right now?" Sakura asked.

"Immediately. Get packed. Fast." Kakashi would be bored if he wasn't mildly afraid for his friend's life.

On the journey back, Kakashi carried Miki cradled in his arms, as he tried to make faster time while still not jostling the injured man around. He'd given him a general antidote to stop the poison from spreading and relax him, but Kakashi wasn't sure how far the poison had spread already. Upon inspecting the assailants weapons, he realized that this particular toxin was extremely lethal and fast acting. He only hoped Tsunade could save the smaller man. That was, if they got there in time.

Sasuke found himself glancing from Miki to Naruto as they raced home, _but he just didn't know why_. He just kept doing it. _Why can't I take my eyes off the damn dobe? And Miki?_ Slowly, he began to admit to himself that he was anxious, and afraid that this person he barely knew would die, for having protected them. He was frustrated, also, that it _was_ this person who protected them, as if Sasuke himself were vulnerable. _Why did he jump in? Twice, no less? We can take care of ourselves…and if worst comes to worst, then I'll protect Naruto - he's _my _friend after all…_As if on cue, Naruto turned to Sasuke and looked at him oddly. Not oddly in that he'd caught Sasuke staring at him, although he had, but just that he seemed to stare back. Defiantly. Like he was still stirred up inside over something thathe couldn't understand. Like he was even more anxious than the Uchiha.

And, unbeknownst to Sasuke, he was. Since the moment Hideki had called Miki a monster, Naruto was obsessing over his words. Naruto couldn't understand what would make someone talk like that about the man, unless he really was a monster, just like him. Of course, was _he _a monster just because of the Kyuubi? _What defines 'monster'? _Usually, Naruto merely accepted his fate as the Jinchuuriki, and worked to prove people wrong, knowing that some people would never change. He figured that he would put up with the rumors and insults, as long as some people believed in him. But times like these shook him. Those few occasions when he met someone like himself, and seeing things from a whole new perspective. _What was it that people hated so much about Miki? Could it really be so bad? Could his secret be as bad as mine?…What defines 'bad', anyway?_

* * *

As Naruto continued his confused circular logic, the group arrived at the village gates to Konoha. Sasuke ran on ahead to let Tsunade know that they were on their way. Upon their arrival, Tsunade had her desk cleared off and was ready and waiting with Sasuke. She had them place Miki, wrapped in a blanket and wearing Kakashi's vest, on the desk. The jounin then dismissed his students from the office, declaring that he had to speak with the Hokage privately.

"What about?" The Hokage asked, once the students cleared the room. She knew it had to be important, otherwise it could wait.

"You've never treated Kusanagi-san before, have you?"

Tsunade shook her head. She vaguely wondered what this was about, and maybe if there was a reason for her earlier suspicions of the man.

Kakashi sighed before speaking gravely. "About a year ago, the team I was with came across a battered, dying, teenage girl during a mission. She had deep wounds all over her body, as well as bruises and signs of sexual trauma. Worst of all, her throat was slit and she was left for dead. The medic-nin on our team did what he could and treated her, but explained that there was nothing else we could do." Kakashi then gently untied the forehead protector from Miki's neck, as Tsunade wondered what this could possibly have to do with anything. "As soon as I saw this boy, I knew that I recognized him."

Tsunade leaned closer to see the horrible scar across his neck. For a moment, her brows had furrowed, then the woman's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't be serious..!" She looked back at Kakashi. The look on his face told her that he was indeed serious.

"He has a huge gash on his chest. You'll have to treat that anyway, so you'll see."

Shooting a skeptical look at the silver-haired man, Tsunade carefully unwrapped the blankets from the redhead's body, then unzipped the jounin jacket he wore. She used a miniscule amount of chakra to cut the bloodstained white bandages across his chest, then gasped. It wasn't the mortal wound that startled her. Instead, it was what was there with it. Breasts. Miki had breasts. It was true. _He_ was a _she._


	5. Chapter 5

_AngelsWind_ and _Koharu Kage_, I freakin love you guys. You make me feel special o.O'

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: Oho! Not just the gay anymore, now we got cross-dressing, too! Yet more of Miki's past begins to unravel! Oh my!

Reviews are yummy in my tummy…

Chapter 5

Uzumaki Naruto paced back and forth atop the mountain in which the faces of the past Hokages were carved. A short while earlier, his team deposited a very frail-looking, injured Miki upon Tsunade's desk in hopes of having the man properly treated. Instead of waiting outside the Hokage's office, Naruto found himself meandering aimlessly through the village, lost in thought. The boy was anxious, afraid, angry, and confused, now that the redhead who had been taking care of them was near death. As he tried to sort himself out, Naruto paced and paced, something nagging in the back of his mind. _Just why the hell is Miki a monster?_

Naruto understood why the villagers wrongly called him a monster, and he couldn't blame them too much. Ignorance was bliss. And they had been very ignorant. But he held no grudges, and he made friends, too. What the aspiring Hokage could not understand was what could possibly make Miki so bad that he would be treated similarly. Did he even do anything at all, or was he just misunderstood, like Naruto himself had been? During the experience at the Nakamura Estate, the boy felt the memories of his own loneliness and sadness flood him, making it all too easy to sympathize with the ANBU commander. Naruto still felt a pang of lonelinessuntil he remembered that he was no longer alone, and that he had a family, though not related by blood. Then he wondered, _But what about Miki?_

* * *

Kusanagi Miki awoke, lying in an antiseptic-looking hospital room, feeling groggy, but restored and healthy. He glanced briefly around the room before sitting up stiffly, the covers falling away from his chest. His _large_ chest. Miki looked down in horror at the female figure in his white hospital gown, eyes wide and panicked. Cursing, he hurriedly covered himself with his arms and curled into himself, bringing his knees up and hiding his fear-stricken face behind them. 

Kakashi heard the rustling of sheets within the room he stood guard of, and peeked inside. Sure enough, Miki had regained consciousness, and the boy…girl…_ninja_…appeared to be having a panic attack, hyperventilating and sweating profusely in an upright fetal position. He stepped in quietly, and waited patiently for the other person to notice him.

Being ANBU, it didn't take long, even during a panic attack, for Miki to detect the presence of a visitor. He looked up and stared wildly at the silver-haired jounin, cheeks tearstained and eyes already bloodshot. He might have said something to the other man, but he couldn't find his voice. Even if he did, he didn't know what he could possibly say.

So, Kakashi took the initiative and cautiously began speaking calmly with a tone that could have appeasing. "Kusanagi-san, I knew the truth all along. If I could have prevented your secret from being revealed, then I would have. Your life, however, was more important." The man explained it simply, feeling that using as few words as possible might be best in this case, as the other may have a difficult time absorbing any information right then, anyway.

After a few moments of simply staring at him with an unreadable expression, Miki whispered, "How?"

The Copy-nin knew what he was referring to. He wanted to know how Kakashi knew his secret from the beginning. Understandable.

"It was my team who healed you a year ago during a mission. When you came here, I knew that I'd recognized you. I figured you had your reasons…"

Miki regarded him skeptically while noting in the back of his mind that his breathing had returned to normal, as had his heart rate. He then sighed sadly, the emptiness returning to his reddened eyes.

"Hokage-sama wants to see you in her office immediately. There are some clothes for you on the nightstand." With that, Kakashi took his leave.

Glancing at said nightstand, Miki groaned, as a terrible feeling swelled up in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

The red-haired shinobi arrived outside Tsunade's office much later than he would have liked, dressed, much to his dismay, _in_ a dress. A short, red, mandarin-style dress that left almost nothing to the imagination and showed with much flair, that he was, indeed, a female. In fact, the reason he had arrived so late, was because he had deliberately snuck through Konoha as to not be seen. Oh, right now, he pitied the fool who even looked at him wrong. 

The other, larger part of him, however, was far removed from anger, and much, much more ashamed. He wasn't sure if he could explain this to the Hokage…and he wasn't even sure if he should be alive.

Vaguely getting a handle on his emotions, Miki stepped inside, and was met with a fairly irate Sannin. Anything he wanted to say fled his mind as he looked to the floor, disconsolate.

"Kakashi told me everything. Who, exactly, are you, and what are you doing in Konoha?" Tsunade snapped, looming over her desk as she so often did when she intended to intimidate someone. It worked, too.

"Sumimasen, Hokage-sama. I'm merely a refugee from another village. Please ignore the fact that I am actually female, and had hid my true gender. I am ready and willing to put my life on the line for Konohagakure, please just accept that." Miki humbly bowed and remained in that position - empty, black eyes trained on the floor.

"But why did you do it?"

Miki froze - this was the part that he couldn't explain…otherwise, it would happen all over again. But he couldn't just defy the Hokage, a Legendary Sannin, no less. _But what if it happens again?…Then…this time, I'll just have to accept it, and die like the abomination I am…_He sighed, resigned to his fate. At least he would face it like a man.

"Though I was born female, I believe that I am male, and intend to live my life as one." There, he said it. Maybe they could at least give him an opportunity to change into his regular clothes before killing him, though. There's no _damn way_ Kusanagi Miki would die in a _dress_.

Tsunade stared at the person standing in her office. That person was a girl. A _girl. Woman. Lady. Female._ Not a man. She was wearing a dress, and looked damn good in it, too! So why on earth would she say something like that? Was she not right in the head? Or maybe it was some kind of a joke? Come to think of it, she never knew the ANBU captain well enough to know what his…her…sense of humor was like. But that had to be it. Yes. It was a joke. Most definitely. A joke.

"You're not serious, right?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"Hai, I am. Call me what you want, but it _is_ true. While biologically female, I was always boy at heart." He realized he was still bowed as he waited for it - the hate.

But it never came. Minutes seem to pass by, and he stood there in the Hokage's office silently, as did Tsunade.

"You're dismissed, Kusanagi-san."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Miki bowed again and vanished, hoping beyond hope that maybe, just maybe, Tsunade didn't care about his gender issues.

* * *

Miki raced home to his apartment, praying not to be seen in the evil garment he'd been forced to wear. Just after changing out of it and back into his regular street clothes, there was a knock at his door. When he opened it, he didn't show his surprise at seeing Sakura standing there, holding bouquet of flowers and smiling brightly. Instead, he silently let her in, and showed her into his small, barely furnished living room. 

"Here," the pink-haired girl handed the flowers to him, "those were for you at the hospital, but they wouldn't let us see you, so I wanted to give them to you now." She smiled again, her cheeks becoming just a tiny bit rosier.

"Thank you, Sakura, that was very thoughtful of you. I'll go put them in some water." Miki hated how sometimes he sounded patronizing, but he often did, even when being nice. Maybe it meant that he wasn't a naturally nice person, and being kind came awkwardly. Of course, the killing-people-ruthlessly-for-a-living-thing didn't help the niceness factor. Neither did the fact that inside he was actually empty, lonely, and full of hate for himself, and merely pretended to be a decent human being everyday. He figured the patronizing came with the pretending.

"Oh, they're from Naruto and Sasuke, too. We kinda had to bug Sasuke into buying them with us, but I think he thought it was nice, anyway, and just won't say it."

Miki noted that Sakura tended to ramble when it came to the dark-haired Uchiha survivor.

"So you're feeling better?" Sakura asked as Miki took a seat on his couch and motioned for her to join him.

He nodded, "Yes, very much so. It's all thanks to Hokage-sama and to all of you for getting me here in time."

A brief pause, then, "Ano, Miki, do you mind if I ask you something?"

_Great, here it comes…_"Go ahead."

"Um, who was that guy we fought? You called him Hideki, I think…" Yup, that's what Miki thought she was going to ask. Oh well.

"He was a very special person in my life before I came here to Konoha, but he betrayed me. I didn't expect to ever see him again, especially on a mission like that." As he spoke, Miki aimlessly stared at a particularly dirty stain on his coffee table. Even without looking at her, the man could tell that Sakura was hanging onto his every word. _Girls and their gossip…_He sighed.

"_How_ special?" Sakura, while knowing it really was none of her business, felt like this was just too juicy to pass up and her curiosity wouldn't let her even if she tried. So she pushed. Just a little.

"Very special."

Sakura raised her eyebrows, silently pushing more. _Tell meeee, damnit…Tell me!_

Having noticed Sakura's silent plea, Miki elaborated.

"I was in love with him."

As Inner Sakura boasted her victory, the physical version of the kunoichi asked, "But he betrayed you?"

Miki wondered to himself why he was sharing this with the girl next to him. After the scare he had today, it probably wasn't a good idea to be pouring his heart out to someone, and with it, his deepest, darkest secrets. But he was doing it anyway. A lot of his behavior of late, Miki noticed, was out of the ordinary. He just didn't know whether or not it was very productive.

"Yes. He believed that because I was different from him, that I didn't deserve to live. He and his comrades attempted to assassinate me, and failed. Since I had been run out of the Hidden Village of the Grass and presumed dead, I started a new life here." _She doesn't need to know everything…but if she asks for any more, then I may just throw her out my window…_

"That's really terrible, Miki…But, you know, even if you lost the people who used to be important to you, we're your friends now, and we won't betray you, ever." Sakura stood up and headed toward the door and Miki followed to show her out properly.

"Thank you, Sakura. Give my regards to Team Seven."

"Sure! Bye, Miki, see ya around." Sakura blushed and waved as she ran out the door and out of the apartment complex.

* * *

Naruto sat next to his silver-haired jounin-sensei at Ichiraku, distractedly slurping up his ramen. Kakashi sat with his orange Icha Icha novel open in front of his face, reading it disinterestedly, his bowl of noodles forgotten on the counter. 

When Kakashi noticed Naruto's surprising level of silence, he deduced the only logical answer - something was wrong.

"Naruto, what is it?" He asked, his gaze never wandering from the pages of his hentai.

"Am…I a monster?" The blond boy's voice was soft and he stared into his ramen bowl distantly as he spoke.

"No."

"…Is Miki a monster?"

"No."

"But that guy sai-" Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Kakashi grabbed his own chopsticks and deftly shoved some of his own ramen into the boy's mouth, all the while preoccupied with his book. Then he sighed.

"I take it you already know that Miki is nothing of the sort, but not everyone believes that. Some people see him very similar to the way they see you, Naruto,though your pasts are very different. Some people are just ignorant and hurtful." The jounin glanced to the boy next to him, to see him nod sadly in understanding.

"But the person who hates him the most, Naruto, is Miki himself. It may be because he began to believe the ignorant people who persecuted him, or maybe he hated himself for the same reasons to begin with." Kakashi put his Icha Icha book away in his pocket, and sighed again, and his visible eye became much sadder.

"He may even have reasons that we may never begin understand. Especially since he never lets anyone in." The jounin was sure of that, because he tried to get close to the man, just to be blocked by a cold, hard wall. Since the redhead first arrived in Konoha, Kakashi wanted to keep an eye on him, after having realized that it was the same girl his team treated not too long ago. Even more so, after he noticed that Miki had no friends to speak of and that he distanced himself from everyone. Having worked with him a few times, Kakashi forced his good-natured companionship onto the young man and got him to open up, if only a little. In introducing Miki to his genin students, Kakashi deliberately set him up to make friends. Whether he liked it or not. Because the man needed friends. Because the man needed love.

* * *

Miki was once again standing in front of his bathroom mirror late that night, staring at his naked, female, scarred body after having stepped out of the shower. And he couldn't stand it. It was all wrong. He didn't care about the disfiguring scars, he didn't even care about his feminine face or delicate features. That he could deal with. But…the _female-ness_, he couldn't. It was the fact that it was like a _trick_, that he passed as a man because he'd bind his breasts down daily and wear loose clothes, and if anyone were to see him like this, suddenly everything would be different. He couldn't stand it, because like this, he was alone - trapped between two worlds - and he knew that no one could understand or love someone like him. The last person who he thought loved him had attempted to kill him. He considered the idea that he actually had died then. 

He felt the heat behind his eyes and leaned on the counter as he tried to control himself. When he failed, Miki sunk to his knees with his head in his hands, crying silently on the tile floor.

* * *

Tsunade stood staring out the window of her office into the starry night sky over the village. All day she had been thinking about the person she'd spoken to that morning. She had learned that Kusanagi Miki, a top notch ANBU commander, no less, was actually a girl. When confronted, Kusanagi firmly stated that she had lived as a man all this time, and was determined to continue to do so. Even though she was a beautiful, stunning young woman. She wanted to be a man. 

Tsunade had trouble absorbing all of this, simply because she had never met a transsexual before.

* * *

Hey people, I'm having trouble writing a decent summary that doesn't give too much away for this story...don't suppose anyone has any suggestions? Well, whatever. Tell me what you think, or if you have any suggestions or what not, I really do appreciate it. 


	6. Chapter 6

_AngelsWind_ and _Koharu Kage_, seriously, you make me so happy. Even if you were to tell me that my story was an amateurishpile of fecal matter, I'd still be grateful, because you're nice enough to keep reading and reviewing. As for the confusion and ambiguity, I'm working on that. I kinda wanted it to be like that, so readers would have to work some things out in their heads and maybe come to their own conclusions before the official explanation's revealed. Sorry if it's annoying. Really. >. 'But I'll get to it, and everything will be cleared up eventually, I promise! Maybe even by the end of this chapter, who knows shrug.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: Homosexual transsexuals. 'Nuff said.

Chapter 6

For several weeks following the incident at the Nakamura's, Miki shut himself in his home, venturing out into the village only when absolutely necessary, and avoiding other people as much as possible at such times. While it wasn't entirely obvious that he was depressed, upon closer inspection it was easy to see the bags under his eyes and the way his smile was somewhat more forced than usual. Of course, no one really bothered to look, for which the androgynous shinobi was grateful.

In his apartment, he sat perched on the ledge of his window and disinterestedly watched as the people of Konoha scurried around busily below him. Miki had been reminiscing as he sat there, not really paying attention to the bustling village around him. Since he'd seen the murderous Grass ninja again, he'd been doing a lot of that lately.

While he had explained to Sakura that he had once loved that man, there was much more to it. Hideki had loved him back. When he was a girl, that is. Miki grew up as Kusanagi Minako, a was a well respected young kunoichi in the Hidden Village of the Grass. While he knew that being a girl was not suited for him, he acted as one out of the fear of rejection and persecution. He may have been somewhat tomboyish, but remained a girl in the eyes of the village none-the-less. When he'd fallen for Hideki, however, he tried to become even more feminine, to impress the man. He wore dresses, did his hair, wore make-up, cooked, cleaned, and catered to Hideki's every whim, as he believed a woman did best. However, when he'd given his body to the man, Miki knew that things couldn't go on that way, because he'd never felt more disgusted with himself before in his life. He was a man, and though he tried to deny it, he knew it. But he was letting someone treat him as a woman, and he couldn't stand it. The gender of his _partner _didn't matter to him, but his _own_ was the problem.

After that, as he lay in bed, naked and female, next to his lover, Miki decided to stop pretending. In the days following, he'd started to bind his chest and wear men's clothes, and he even began speaking differently, using the masculine "boku" and "ore" and referring to himself as a male. While with his long, silky hair and feminine features he may have looked like a very pretty, androgynous boy, Miki made sure that he looked like the person he felt he had been all along.

Shortly thereafter, after concluding that "Minako" was not mentally unstable or under the influence of some kind of jutsu, the Hidden Village of the Grass ran him out, declaring that he was a lying freak of nature and an abomination. Hidekihad beenall too happy to lead the assassination attempt on him, having had his pride and ego wounded by his one time transsexual lover. So, Hideki's jounin team chased him, tortured him, raped him, and left him for dead.

When Miki had regained consciousness, he was healed and bandaged, left in the same spot he was when he passed out - the work of Kakashi's men, he now knew. After that, he'd traveled a bit as a vagabond, having cut his hair and changed his identity, until he came across Konohagakure, where he started a new life as Kusanagi Miki, twenty year old ANBU captain.

Miki sighed. He'd loved Hideki. He'd loved him enough to be a woman for him. But he really was only used, he knew, because once his appearance changed, while he may have been the same person inside, Hideki only saw a freak and regretted ever having touched him.

It was the same everyday - just remembering the past, and being so detached from it, as well as from the present. And everyday since his secret got out, he worried that history would repeat itself. Every time someone looked his way, something icy and cold clenched around his heart as he prayed that they didn't know - as he actually _hoped_ he was being paranoid.

And then there were those times that he'd spot Kakashi or Sasuke the few times he actually went outside, and he'd dash off into hiding as fast as his ninja legs could carry him. He knew that they knew, and he was afraid to talk to them, for all the reassurance his common sense tried to give him that there was nothing to worry about. If they hadn't murdered him yet, it would tell him, then he was probably fine. But common sense didn't matter to him anymore, because common sense dictates that you don't rape and murder someone because they're different. So apparently, common sense was wrong.

* * *

Sasuke spotted Naruto on the outskirts of the village center and then found himself walking over to the blond for a reason he couldn't quite name. He was mildly concerned, he supposed, about his teammate, because he'd noticed Naruto's unusually thoughtful demeanor of late. _If there's something wrong with the dobe, it could screw up our missions and get us all in trouble, that's all…_Sasuke attempted to reassure himself as he strutted superiorly over to the boy in question, who was walking with his head down, and his hands in his pockets. Glum, Sasuke noted, might have been the right term to describe his rival at that moment. 

"Oi, dobe, what the hell has got you so down?"

Naruto glanced up at the Uchiha and saw that his almost ever-present smirk wasn't there.

"What's it to you, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto merely kept walking along whatever impromptu path he had planned in his mind, and heard steps fall in beside him.

"Well, I can't have your teen angst slowing the team down, now can I?" Wait. There it is. The smirk. Strangely comforting it was, in a way, Naruto noted, as much as he hated the smug bastard.

"You're one to talk, you emo bastard." If anyone was the poster-boy for teen angst around here, it was definitely _not _Naruto…

Sasuke's patience with the boy beside him was wearing thin, but it's not like he really had expected this to be easy. He and Naruto were always better at using fists than words. And so, that thought gave him an idea.

The Uchiha then balled his hand into a fist, and punched the other boy square in the jaw. Maybe not the best idea, he knew, but it was better than vainly trying to pry the information from his gloomy teammate.

Naruto stumbled away, gingerly rubbing his chin, glaring at his companion. "What the hell was that for, bastard! Just because I called you emo? Damnit…!"

"No," Sasuke replied coolly, smirk once again firmly in place, "you were just pissing me off, being all melancholy and angsty." _Because it's just not like you, and I'd rather see you angry, then spiritless…_While Sasuke found his own thoughts vaguely disconcerting, since he hadn't at all known where they had come from, he had no time to dwell upon them as Naruto's fist connected with his own jaw in retaliation. Of course, he'd been expecting that, and only got hit because he allowed himself to. Because Uchiha Sasuke doesn't get distracted by his own thoughts…about other boys…Of course not.

* * *

The two rivals lay sprawled across the grass next to each other, panting and glistening with sweat, after having finished a very spirited spar. It wasn't uncommon for them to end up practically collapsing after a match, because every time they tended to push a little harder, each with something to prove to the other. The verbal disputes usually sparked the matches, and mutual exhaustion, without a victor, usually finished them. But this time, however, it was different, because now, Sasuke would do something that he hadn't ever even thought to do before. 

"Naruto," the Uchiha started, looking into the clear sky above them, "do you want to go get some ramen?" Internally, the boy wondered what possessed him to ask such a thing, and so casually, too, without any reservations, as if this was something that the two friends did all the time. And at that thought, he was more bewildered - since when had he thought of Naruto and himself as friends? He assumed that he must be ill or something of the like, and simply wasn't acting like himself. Too late to take it back, though. Oh well.

The Jinchuuriki sat up and eyed the raven-haired boy suspiciously for a few moments, then shrugged and said, "Only if it's your treat, Sasuke-teme."

"Hn."

* * *

Iruka walked into Ichiraku, and saw two familiar figures sitting together. Both children, one blond, in bright orange garb, and the other raven-haired, in similarly colored apparel, adorning the Uchiha crest on his back. Upon recognizing them, the chuunin glanced around to see who else was present. He saw no one. No Kakashi, or Sakura, not even Kusanagi-san, whom he knew had been taking care of the genin team for a short while. He would have expected that they were there with another person, but they were not. Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were spending time alone together of their own free will. 

Iruka blinked, then stepped back outside and looked around him. Nothing _else _out of the ordinary in the village. The teacher concluded that the world was actually _not_ coming to an end.

* * *

Okay, people, now it'll probably start getting more into relationships and such, since we know Miki's story and his background's been introduced properly and what not. Incase you're wondering, he's hopefully going to be sort of a center that the relationships revolve around, even if his not necessarily _in_ them. It may take awhile for this story to _not_ be a flaming pile of crap, and even then, it may still turn out lame, so just bear with me. For anyone who's been reading and/or reviewing, thank you very much, I'm honored that you're taking that time to read my cra- er, story…And for anyone who is disappointed with it or just doesn't like it, sumimasen bows. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. Seriously. I know how it feels to read fics partway through, then realize that they suck. Badly. Anyway, reviews appreciated, if you have the time. 


	7. Chapter 7

First off, I want to apologize for how extremely short the previous chapter was. I just thought that it more or less served its purpose, and adding anything more would just somehow ruin it. But yes, it definitely was too short.

_AngelsWind_ thank you so much. I really hope I can keep writing so that you continue to enjoy it. _Koharu Kage_ and _eyesonme19_, thank you, I'm glad that you seem to be enjoying my story. I really appreciate all the reviews you guys give me, it's really nice of you to take the time out to do that.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: If you haven't been paying attention, I'm not repeating myself.

Chapter 7

"You've been worried about Miki?" Sasuke asked the boy devouring a bowl of ramen next to him.

Naruto nodded, the steaming noodles hanging from his mouth as he slurped them up heartily.

"He's fine, dobe. Tsunade-sama treated him, and he's strong anyway." Sasuke propped himself up with one hand under his chin as turned to his blond companion, and twirled his one of his chopsticks absently in the other.

"That's not why I'm worried, teme. Kakashi-sensei told me that Miki's got no friends. He said that people call him a monster, and that Miki thinks they're right. He hates himself, Sasuke," the blond sighed, "It's sad." Naruto wasn't about to explain to Sasuke that the real reason he was concerned was because he knew how it felt to be alienated like that, though he had a feeling that Sasuke knew. They had a mutual understanding of each other, and of the fact that neither had a normal childhood. But Naruto never did tell the other boy about the Kyuubi. It was just too painful.

Sasuke noticed how pathetically despondent Naruto looked as he finished speaking, and felt something swell up inside himself at it. It might have been something like a feeling of protectiveness, because he was not unaware of how coldly Naruto was treated in this village. He understood now why Naruto was worried about Miki, once the boy explained it. It seemed as though Miki was just like him, though the raven-haired avenger had never known Naruto to hate himself. _Of course, I don't even know why Naruto's treated that way - he's never told me. Or anyone, for that matter._ He knew it had to be something important, for the village to hold a collective grudge against the boy, and for Naruto himself to keep it secret from his friends.

Now, though, Sasuke didn't really know what to say. He wanted to be comforting - yet he didn't know _why_ - but didn't really know how to do so.

"Then," Sasuke knew he would regret this as he spoke - he was being _really _out of character today - ,"we'll be his friends." Yup, he was going to regret this. A lot. But for some reason, he couldn't stop himself. Maybe he saw part of himself in Miki as well. The man was part Naruto - alienated, hated victim, and part Sasuke - self-hating loner. Though Sasuke had grown past his own self-loathing from the time of his family's massacre, he understood what it was to hate yourself. Even if his reasons my not have been the same as the red-haired ANBU's.

* * *

Iruka had left Ichiraku after noticing his two former students, allowing them some privacy. Besides, talking to just the two of them would be awkward no matter what, as they would surely be shooting death glares at each other - _through_ the brown-haired chuunin if necessary. So now he was walking home, hoping to fix himself some instant ramen in the comfort of his own cluttered apartment. As he walked, he couldn't help wondering what would possess the two boys to seek out each other's company willingly. _Maybe it was a date…_The man began chuckling at his own absurd suspicion, and only tried to control himself when he noticed the people nearby giving him odd looks. 

"What's so funny, Iruka-sensei?" Startled, the brown-haired man turned to find Sharingan Kakashi suddenly walking casually beside him..

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei..! I was just thinking about a few students of yours, actually." He smiled genially at the taller man, pleasantly surprised to see him.

"You mean Sasuke and Naruto? Yeah, I saw them, too. Quite a nice couple, I think." Kakashi smiled mischievously under his mask, his visible eye curving upward in his trademark masked grin.

Iruka chuckled once more.

"You never know." Kakashi shrugged.

"So what are you up to, Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka figured that the masked jounin wouldn't be out unless he had something to do, as he was probably the laziest, most unprofessional ninja he'd ever met. Kakashi seemed like the type of person who only bothered eating because he had to, and only did his missions to buy more hentai. Otherwise, the man would probably just live in his bed. All day and night.

"I was just going to stop by Kusanagi-san's. He seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. Just making sure there's no corpse or anything." The jounin shrugged again.

"I'd heard that he was injured on a mission. Wasn't he healed by Hokage-sama?"

"Yeah, but that's not the problem…Anyway, I'll see you around, Iruka-sensei." With that, Kakashi disappeared as abruptly as he had appeared.

Iruka suddenly felt a little colder without the Copy-nin's presence. He just attributed to the wind…that was not actually there.

* * *

Kakashi arrived at the apartment complex where his associate resided at, and leapt silently up to the man's window, landing on the ledge. In the brief moment that he sat crouched there, a kunai lodged itself in the wood next to his head. _Damn, he's good…_He sighed and put up his hands appeasingly. 

"Kusanagi-san, it's only me. I wanted to talk."

"Why didn't you use the door?" Miki was leaning against the wall opposite him, eyes narrowed, repeatedly tossing a kunai in the air and catching it thoughtlessly. Kakashi wasn't sure if he'd been intentionally intimidating, or if the smaller man actually just came off that way naturally.

"Because I knew you wouldn't let me in. Besides, I never use doors." Kakashi smiled, eye curving upward once again. He could only hope it would ease the tension. It usually did…

"Hn."

The jounin took this as a grudging invitation inside and let himself off the ledge soundlessly.

"Where have you been lately? You're never around the village, and you haven't requested a mission for weeks. It isn't like you." Kakashi asked with his usual neutral, slightly drawling voice.

"What do you care?" The question came out softly, but bitter, as Miki eyed him suspiciously. No doubt recalling whatever had happened to him right before Kakashi had found him in the forest, and questioning the jounin's motives, the masked man knew.

"You can trust me, Kusanagi-san. I knew your secret all along and never treated you any differently. I am your friend." He spoke slowly and clearly to make sure that he was understood fully. In truth, he felt that he was the man's friend, though he figured that his feelings were not wholeheartedly reciprocated.

Miki heaved a sigh and put his menacing weapon back in his holster, dejected. Now that Kakashi got a good look at him, it seemed the man lost some weight in the past few weeks, and since he was delicate looking to begin with, it was quite obvious to him. He noticed, also, the bags under the smaller man's spiritless eyes. It was a pathetic sight.

The redhead walked into his tiny kitchen, motioning for Kakashi to follow him. Miki showed him to the small table and then busied himself by fixing a pot of coffee, while the jounin sat himself down and waited patiently.

Many minutes passed in silence until Miki sat down across from his visitor with two steaming mugs, handing one over to the other man, who wordlessly accepted it.

"I'm afraid, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi knew what he meant - he was afraid of being beaten and left for dead again, the way he'd found him a year ago. He didn't know the details, but he didn't need to. At least, not to understand what this person feared, probably more than anything, even.

"That won't happen again. No one in Konoha would do such a thing."

"I didn't think anyone in my old village would, either. Then my lover raped me and slit my throat." Miki stared into his coffee, at his own reflection. He didn't really want to drink it - making it was just a good way for him to bide his time as he gathered his thoughts. It was also the polite thing to do, since he had a guest.

"I've known for a year, Kusanagi-san, and in all that time, you were just another shinobi to me. A friend, even. Hokage-sama knows, and she doesn't care. You're still an invaluable ninja in her eyes. You're still you."

"Still me?" He continued to stare into his coffee, refusing to meet Kakashi's gaze.

"Hai. Unless you shut yourself in and become a weak, pathetic loner." The silver-haired man sounded slightly bitter as he spoke this time. _I guess it's just called tough love._

* * *

_"I love you, Minako…" The Grass ninja Hideki wrapped his arms around a stunningly beautiful red-haired kunoichi as he whispered in her ear._

_"I love you, too, Hideki. I love you so much…" She replied, looping her arms around the handsome jounin's neck. The girl wove her fingers through the young man's long black hair as she was pulled up closer to him._

_As his lips brushed against hers, she felt an unbelievable pain searing into her flesh, and she pulled away, screaming. When no sound came, she frantically felt her throat, and her hand became covered in warm, red blood. Looking to Hideki for help, she only saw him grin menacingly at her, before she was suddenly naked on the ground, being defiled by the man she loved. His face then turned into each of the other half-dozen Grass jounin that brutally raped her that night…_

_Miki awoke abruptly and stumbled out of his bed toward his bathroom. He then proceeded to vomit into the toilet, before blearily sitting on the edge of his bathtub. He ran his hand anxiously through his hair and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to get the image of his nightmare out of his mind. Doing so only made it clearer, though._

"Damn that wretch for making me a fucking nervous head-case…"

* * *

It was another one of those days where Miki found himself wandering through the village before dawn - the morning mist hadn't lifted, the grass was still dewy, and even the wildlife was still slumbering in the cool heinously-early-morning breeze. _I wonder if the animals ever have nightmares that keep them from sleeping so damn peacefully…_

Seeing anyone out this early was unexpected, but seeing this person in particular surprised him more. Suppressing the urge to run and hide in a hole somewhere, Miki called out to the dark figure in the distance.

"Oi, Sasuke!" Why a kid was out wandering around at this time, Miki couldn't figure out.

Sasuke changed direction and wandered over to him, nodding in greeting.

"What are you doing wandering around here so late?" Again, Miki internally flinched at his own patronizing way of speaking. Kids don't want to be talked to like they're kids, an he knew that. Oh well.

"Couldn't sleep," the boy raised an eyebrow questioningly, "you?"

"Nightmares. I would hazard a guess that's your problem, too?" The man started meandering along the street, and Sasuke meandered along with him.

"My older brother murdered my entire clan years ago. I wake up screaming sometimes to this day."

_Well, he's certainly blunt…_Something began to stir in the recesses of his memory at those words, though. He thought he had recognized the name Uchiha when he had first met the boy. His brief story brought information to Miki's consciousness that he had more or less forgotten. Even in the Hidden Village of the Grass, there had been rumors about an elite shinobi gone mad who'd murdered his entire clan, leaving only his sibling alive - Uchiha Itachi, an S-class missing-nin. The redhead hadn't realized that the boy beside him was the Uchiha survivor. That did explain a few things, though. His attitude to begin with. His extraordinary level of independence, also.

_I wonder why he's sharing this with me…He doesn't seem the type to just talk about trauma like that to just anyone…_

"My lover raped me and left me for dead. I wake up screaming sometimes, too."

"The Grass jounin?"

Miki nodded. "You're observant…or you've been talking to Sakura."

"Hn."

A few more minutes of silence as they wandered the streets of their village, then, "He was wrong. You're neither a monster nor an abomination."

Miki looked at the boy bemusedly.

"You're just you."

* * *

Later that day, when Team Seven was supposed to meet by the bridge, Miki arrived with Sasuke. Before they could ask him any questions, he said, "I'm taking you all out for breakfast…at Ichiraku." It seemed the ramen stand was quickly becoming his favorite restaurant. At least Naruto couldn't complain… 

When he only received bewildered stares, he added, "_Now._"

"Ano, Miki, what about Kakashi-sensei? We're supposed to meet him here for practice…" Said Sakura.

"That man is never on time, unless, possibly, his life depends on it. We have plenty of time, _let's go_." Miki worked with the masked jounin enough times to verify his statement. In fact, he believed that even if the man's life _did_ depend on it, he still wouldn't be able to be at a given place at a certain time.

And so, the four found themselves at Ichiraku, enjoying their obscenely high-sodium breakfast. Naruto, most of all, naturally. And Miki was glad he had taken his talk with Kakashi to heart. Kakashi told him that he was going to have to open up, and stop hiding from the world. And although it was difficult, because everything still hurt inside, and he felt lonely and empty, it seemed like he could at least try with these people. So, little by little, he would. Even if he still hated himself, and even if no one loved him, at least he might be able to make some friends.

"Hey, hey, Niisan, are you okay? You've been kinda down lately, haven't you?" Naruto had lowered his voice and had leaned in so only the redhead could hear him speak.

"I'm alright, now, Naruto. Thank you for asking. I appreciate it." He wasn't entirely lying. Miki was feeling better than he had during his funk before Kakashi visited him, though he was still depressed and empty, and he did appreciate the boy's inquiries. He wasn't sure if Naruto asked simply because he was thoughtful and polite like that, or if he genuinely cared. But either way, it didn't really matter very much to Miki at that moment, anyway.

"Are you sure? Kakashi-sensei told me that you were upset and stuff…" Big blue eyes bored into him with an unlikely amount of concern.

Miki nodded, and smiled, if only a little.

* * *

Lost in thought, Iruka sat at his small kitchen table, eating his instant ramen. His mind wandered to the silver-haired jounin-sensei he'd spoken to earlier, and also to the man that Kakashi mentioned that he was on his way to see. The schoolteacher wondered why he felt somehow forlorn as he thought about the two men. Surely it was none of his business who Kakashi spent his time with? Come to think of it, he had seen less and less of the man, and occasionally spotted him with the androgynous redhead. The very _pretty_ androgynous redhead. Unlike himself, a man of average skill and appearance. Compared to Kusanagi-san, Iruka noted, he was mediocre at best. 

Iruka was jealous. Not overbearingly, but just enough to realize that he wished the man who Kakashi was spending time with was _himself._ He sighed, as he noticed that there were no longer any noodles in his cup.

* * *

It seemed that in the following weeks, rumors about the red-haired ANBU began to circulate through Konoha. Some were harmless enough, while others were more vicious. It seemed to Miki, that unofficial word had gotten out from the treatment at the time of the Nakamura incident that he was indeed female. If asked, anyone involved was ordered to deny it on orders of the Hokage, in an attempt to save what little pride the man had left. Most of the villagers hadn't heard anything, or doubted the most unbelievable rumors they heard, including the one that Kusanagi Miki was actually female. Of course, quite a few of them didn't even know who he was, and didn't really care, either, whether it was true or not. 

One day, however, Miki bumped into a certain green-clad taijutsu expert while grocery shopping.

And he immediately regretted it, just as soon as Maito Gai spun around, genially flashing the "nice-guy" pose and startlingly bright smile. The shinobi had met Gai a few times in professional settings, and it wasn't that he had anything against the man, really. It's just that severely ADHD jounin was only tolerable in small doses.

Gai immediately started off onto one of his very animated tangents about the "springtime of youth" and such, while Miki tried to remain outwardly polite, struggling against a twitch forming in his eye.

When Gai mentioned something about Kakashi, though, Miki blinked, then momentarily backtracked to make sense of what the overzealous man had said. Himself and Kakashi, he'd mentioned, and something about "love blooming in the face of adversity" in the same sentience. Wait.

"What?" Miki stared at Gai, dumbfounded. Really just dumbfounded.

"Is it not true, Kusanagi-san, that you and my eternal rival Kakashi have found companionship in each other? It is a wonderful thing, for two shinobi to be able to forget their pain and become one…I myself have never fou-"

"Gai-sensei," Miki interrupted, sighing, "I'm afraid you have the wrong idea. We are merely acquaintances. Friends, at best."

"But all of Konohagakure seems to be buzzing about this, Kusanagi-san. Is it really not true?" Miki could only groan in response, as Maito Gai stared at him so intently that it might have been painful.

_Doesn't he have better things to do than gossip? Like challenging Kakashi, or running laps upside down around Konoha?_ The redhead could swear he felt the beginnings of a headache that would likely last for hours. Or at least until Gai shut the hell up. Whichever came first.

* * *

I apologize for this chapter - it's scattered and poorly written. Forgive me. 


	8. Chapter 8

To everyone who actually reads my work, I am so very sorry for the heinously long break between last chapter and this one. I'm a lazy whore. Forgive me. Forgive me also for the extreme shortness of this chapter, I just thought it was important to get a freakin update, no matter the length at this point.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: Non-hetero-ness. Trans-ness. Lots-o-Gender Issues. Eh…violence, mentions of rape…hate crimes…But you can suck it up o.O

Chapter 8

Sasuke became aware recently that he was in a bit of a pickle. With each day that passed, he seemed to become more and more infatuated with his blond teammate. His attention would wander to the dobe, more than once distracting him during missions. Luckily, no one had yet noticed. The Uchiha at first hadn't even noticed it himself, because it was not uncommon for his thoughts to be focused on the other boy in aggravation. But when he started to become less aggravated, even content, in the presence of the Jinchuuriki, Sasuke realized that something had to be wrong.

It bordered on obsession, which was a feeling he was not unfamiliar with, since he dedicated himself to revenge from a young age, and loathed his older brother beyond reason - yet, it was different. It took one day with his bubbly pink-haired teammate and blond rival to put everything together.

Routinely meeting at the bridge with the expectation of waiting a very long while for the Copy-nin to join them, the three gathered as usual. Upon seeing him, Sakura quit her badgering of the blond boy and made her way over to Sasuke, Naruto apparently forgotten. Everyday it was the same, the Uchiha ignored Sakura's sugary sweetness and more than obvious attraction to him, while Naruto broadcasted his dissatisfaction.

"Sakura-chan, why don't you just stop obsessing over Sasuke already! _He-does-not-like-you._ He probably doesn't like anyone, for that matter, cold bastard."

_The dobe's got a point…wait…'obsessing'?_ Sasuke could feel his stomach lurch, and he feared where his thoughts where headed. Sometimes obsession was a prelude to love…wasn't it? _I guess the idiot's wrong about one thing, though…_

Well, that was it then. All the raven-haired shinobi could do now was accept it, and be a man. And that meant letting no one know. Ever. What bothered him really wasn't that he loved a boy - if he could call it love yet, he didn't know - it was just that it was Naruto. Of all the accomplished, handsome ninja of the village, he'd fallen for the village idiot. Though if he thought about it, because he really hadn't, he was sort of…cute? Sasuke examined the blond's face, trying to remain cold as ever outwardly as he did so, and yes, he was…cute.

Oh yes, Sasuke _was _in a pickle.

* * *

Iruka by now had heard of the rumors that Hatake Kakashi and Kusanagi Miki were undeniably an item. It made sense to him, since he'd noticed Kakashi's interest in the other man, and he was made somewhat saddened and even envious by the gossip surrounding the two mysterious shinobi. Iruka really was a selfless man, so the greater part of him was genuinely happy for them, but deep inside he felt alone, and often stared wistfully at the Copy-nin, silently wishing that Kakashi would merely take notice of him. More often than not, the silver-haired jounin continued his business without so much as a glance at him.

This particular afternoon, Iruka found himself sitting at his desk in the mission room awaiting the reports that accumulated daily from the team leaders, when the captain of a certain rookie genin team stepped soundlessly up before him. The chuunin only glanced up from his work when a report landed haphazardly in front of him, straight into the other man's single visible, bored-looking eye. "K-Kakashi-sensei! A-Arigatou." Iruka glanced down at the report on his desk briefly, then back up, smiling awkwardly, a blush forming on his tan skin. "Ano…how are you today?"

Kakashi blinked, then his eye curved upward in his usual easy smile as he answered, "Could be worse. You know Hokage-sama's been working us like dogs, ne? How about you, Iruka-sensei? School's going well, I hope?"

_School? He remembers I teach? Of course he does, you idiot…It just feels like we haven't even spoken in so long, I'm surprised he remembers my name…_ "Yes, school's fine. The students are all doing very well." Just trying to talk to the man towering over him was difficult for Iruka, as he tried to look as casual and collected as possible, while his stomach did flips inside his abdomen. He was sure that nervousness of this level was disgraceful for any shinobi, but as he tried to fight it, he was also sure that it was futile, as he felt the heat rise in his cheeks from just being in the Copy-nin's presence.

"What what about _you_, Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi leaned forward over the desk slightly as he spoke, looming even more over the brunette.

"What about me?" The bright pink color on the man's cheeks was now blatantly obvious as Iruka blinked in confusion and leaned back into his chair, away from the looming jounin.

"How are _you_?"

Iruka answered the silver-haired man awkwardly, "Heh, could be worse…"

"Iruka-sensei, what time do you get off work?"

_What? Why would he want to know that? Can't be like a ..date…he's with Miki, isn't he? Must be something else. _Of course, it was just wishful thinking on Iruka's part that the jounin might have been hitting on him, but still he wondered why on earth Kakashi would want to know something like that. He shrugged to himself and answered anyway. "In about twenty minutes, Kakashi-sensei. Why do you want to know?"

Kakashi smiled even more under his mask, "Incase in twenty minutes you wanted to join me at Ichiraku for ramen."

And then, he was gone, with only a cloud of smoke where he had stood.

Iruka blinked once. Then again. Then sighed. The brown-haired chuunin really hoped that Kakashi was treating.

Twenty-five minutes later Iruka walked into the quaint ramen stand called Ichiraku and took a seat next to his colleague.

* * *

To Miki, the hardest part about this nonsense rumor that he had been seeing Kakashi was not the obvious gossip and stares he that endured as he walked through town, and not at all that it was untrue - it's not as though he had feelings for the man. But it made him feel lonelier than he had in a while, thinking about what he could have, but never would. In coming to Konoha, Miki really only wanted to sink into obscurity, and ignore relationships entirely. He wanted to ignore them, because he couldn't stand the thought of being rejected because of what he was. He tried to remain aloof and alone - a defense cracked by Kakashi, and further destroyed by Naruto-tachi. Miki was so afraid all the while of the hate and pain he once endured, but came to realize that there were some people who didn't care. They were his friends. He knew this now.

However, friendship was one thing, but love was another.

In contemplating his fictitious coupling with the Copy-nin as he soaked in his warm bath, and noticed fleetingly the curves of his body and the scars on his skin, Miki realized how truly alone he was, and would remain, because no one could love something like him.

* * *

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, what do you think of Kusanagi-san?" Kakashi glanced curiously at the brunette next to him, as a bowl of ramen was placed before each man respectively.

_You're not going to tell me he asked me out just to talk about his boyfriend….Dear god, why, WHY did I come here? _"I think he's an exceptional shinobi, and a good man. You're good for each other." When necessary, Iruka could always manage to smile and nod, even if he was seething inside. And so he just smiled, as a nod wasn't called for at the moment.

Kakashi's eyebrow raised. Just barely. To Iruka, it looked more like a twitch, really. The chuunin briefly wondered if he'd already managed to offend the man. He prayed that he did not. Regardless of the fact that he'd come to adore the man, Kakashi was also an infamous jounin, and capable of bringing the pain. And so with horrific scenarios involving a very angry Sharingan user flying through his mind, Iruka dove into his ramen bowl.

"What do you mean by "good for each other?" Wait, you're not trying to set me up or anything, are you?" His eyebrow raised more, but this time, it was noticeable.

"Aren't you two dating?" Iruka asked through a mouthful of ramen.

"Dating who?" Kakashi blinked.

The smaller man gulped down his mouthful of noodles, and stared at the jounin bemusedly. "Each other."

* * *

Getting out of his bath, Miki heard a tentative knock coming from his front door. Dripping wet, he wrapped himself in a robe and walked stealthily toward the front door. Upon looking through the peephole, he saw a mess of silky raven hair, held back by a Konoha forehead protector. He opened the door slightly enough to look through it, "Sasuke," he said, "what are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged in reply, and the man let him in, quickly closing the door behind him.

Sasuke turned around and noticed that Miki was not in his usual clothes, in fact, that was quite visible cleavage beneath the bathrobe, he noted. Nothing he hadn't seen before. He also noted how Miki crossed his arms in front of his chest almost casually, yet almost as if to hide it.

"Sasuke, help yourself to anything you like and make yourself comfortable, I have to go change." Miki nearly dashed into his bedroom and came back minutes later, properly dressed and masculine looking…or as masculine looking as a pretty boy could be, anyway.

Sasuke was sitting on the sofa, hunched over and contemplative. Miki joined him. "So, what brings you here, Sasuke?"

"I have a problem." He replied, very bluntly, no less.

"I figured as much."

"I'm in love." Sasuke continued.

"And?"

"With the dobe."

"Ah."

Sasuke sighed. He just came out of the closet. At least, he figured, Miki would be the best person to talk to, all things considered.

"Well, I guess you deserve kudos on getting this far. Now that you've accepted your feelings, what do you plan to do?"

Sasuke merely shrugged.

* * *

Would love reviews, suggestions, and creative criticism. Of course, if you think that I'm a talentless hack, you're welcome to tell me, because you're probably right. 


	9. Chapter 9

-1So, I kind of forgot this story existed. Then I found it collecting dust inside my hard drive. So I decided to start up again…after eight months…..o.O;;

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: Alrighty then…beware of pervy ninjas, falling objects, and the gay.

Oh, and reviews would be helpful, especially since I haven't written anything in like, a century.

Chapter 9

Kakashi stared at the brunette next to him in mild confusion. "Dating? Miki? What are you talking about? He and I are just friends…or barely friends, even."

"Then you're available?" Iruka's hope and anxiety were evident in his statement.

Kakashi's head cocked to the side just slightly, and looked at his comrade with a barely noticeable trace of bewilderment in his visible eye. "Yes, I am." The jounin seemed bored and indifferent as usual, but inside he was actually becoming more and more curious by the second. _Could Iruka have been jealous after hearing those nonsensical rumors? Could he actually…_And then, Iruka's odd behavior earlier made sense to him. Kakashi grinned his trademark grin beneath his mask, almost mischievously. Actually, more than "almost".

He asked Iruka out for ramen with little intention of having more than a friendly meal together, though for a long while he had been seeing the schoolteacher in a somewhat different light. But Hatake Kakashi, mellow and laid back as he was, had not wanted to introduce his likely unwanted affection into the man's life and end up turning it upside down. So he was content with admiring from afar and remaining friendly acquaintances. Until now, that is. Because now it seemed that those feelings of his might just be reciprocated.

"Oh…"

"Why, _are you interested_, Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi winked, then patted the other man on the back good-naturedly and laughed, while the other man bore his eyes into his empty bowl of ramen, blushing madly and just trying to remain composed.

"I'm just kidding, Iruka-sensei, just kidding." _No, no I'm not just kidding, but it'll do for now. It's clear that I hit a nerve, if that blush of his can tell me anything._

Afterward, Kakashi insisted on walking Iruka to his apartment, to keep him company. After all, he was heading in the same direction, so keeping the chuunin company was no big deal. Well, that had been Kakashi's reasoning to him, but Iruka thought that just maybe there was more to it. At least, he hoped so.

What the Iruka didn't know was that the silver-haired jounin who was supposedly heading in that direction, actually ducked back along the path that they had come once the schoolteacher entered his house.

* * *

"Now that you've accepted your feelings, what do you plan to do?"

Sasuke merely shrugged.

Miki sighed. "You know, I could tell that there was something more to the relationship between you and Naruto. It was obvious that despite all appearances, you two really do care deeply for each other."

"I can't tell him."

"Why not?"

Silence was once again Miki's answer from the raven-haired genin. _Is it because letting someone in, means putting aside the hate you have for your brother, and instead filling your heart with love for another? Is it that difficult for you to let go, Sasuke?_

"_Him_." Sasuke uttered that word with such disgust that Miki's assumptions were clearly validated. "I'm an avenger."

"Sasuke," Miki started, sincere eyes boring into the Uchiha's cold ones, "living for revenge is no way of living at all. If you love him, then let go of the hate, so you can open your heart to him. I do believe that Naruto cares about you deeply, though it may not always be easy to see."

"I will kill him or die trying…and that is why I will not let my feelings be known to the dobe, ever." The boy's hands were clenched tightly on his lap, and in his eyes Miki could see the emotions battling inside him - anger, fear, and sadness were some that the ANBU could clearly recognize just beneath the surface.

"Then why did you come here and tell me?"

Sasuke abruptly stood and made his way to the door. "I don't really know." He then let himself out and disappeared into the night.

Miki sighed, and noting how late it was, decided it would be best to think about Sasuke's issue in the morning.

As he lay in bed, however, the red-head felt ill at ease about the boy's situation, and found in more difficult to get to sleep than he had since his nightmares had lessened in frequency.

* * *

Miki learned the next morning in an emergency briefing among his colleagues with the Hokage, that Sasuke had disappeared, presumably to find Orochimaru, as some feared he eventually would. Tsunade informed them that Naruto and the other genin were sent out on a search and rescue mission, though it was unlikely to be successful, as it was Orochimaru that had engineered Sasuke's disappearance.

When the Hokage's other subordinates dispersed, Miki remained in her office, sadness, and yet even more determination evident on his face.

"Hokage-sama, I request that my team be assigned to the finding and surveillance of Orochimaru and his subordinates." He bowed deeply, then straightened and stared unwaveringly into the eyes of the powerful woman before him, waiting for a reply - or rather, one that he liked.

Tsunade eyed him critically for a few moments, then closed her eyes, sighed, and answered. "Kusanagi-san, you and your ANBU squad are officially assigned to the finding and extended surveillance of Orochimaru and his accomplices. I expect to be updated on your progress periodically, and notified immediately when you find him or his hideout. Finding him first of all will not be an easy task, and you must remain under cover both before and after you find him. He must not know of your existence. I will notify your men, and they will meet you at the gates immediately. You are dismissed."

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama." Miki bowed again and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, presumably to change into his ANBU uniform and pack his gear.

Tsunade noticed, however, that he was not the same man that had been standing in that same spot weeks ago. When she saw the look in his eyes and the determination in his voice, she understood that the ice around his heart was chipped away, and she knew that this was something the red-haired jounin had to do.

* * *

As Miki and his ANBU squad raced away from Konoha, he could only think about what Sasuke had told him the night before. The boy loved Naruto. Miki knew, that for the sake of both boys, that Sasuke had to be found. So while Naruto searched, he would search as well, even if it was futile, and even if it meant leaving Konoha for only god knows how long. It was clear that they loved each other, and he would do everything in his power to be sure that their love would not fall apart. For them, who had become a part of his life, he would do anything.

* * *

Okay, I understand that this is painfully short and to the point. Honestly, it was the best I could do, as I haven't been working on this for eight months. But I gave it my best shot. I hope there's atleast another chapter or two to come, but I'd really appreciate if you could review my work. 


	10. Chapter 10

Part of this chapter isan excerpt from another piece of mine, called "Precious", and I thought it would be fitting in this sort of epilogue chapter. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Do own Miki.

Warnings/Summary: In this chapter? Just out of control fluffiness.

Chapter 10 - Epilogue

As Naruto lay in his hospital bed, he contemplated how he had ended up there. Sasuke had run away, and he and his friends were sent to find him and bring him home. Naruto believed at the time that his friend needed to be rescued, but as it turned out, Sasuke wanted no such thing. At the Valley of the End, Sasuke had tried to kill him, yet admitted that Naruto was his best friend.

Tsunade had informed him that Miki was sent out on an extended mission to track Orochimaru, and likely wouldn't be back for weeks, if not months. When she told him that he volunteered, Naruto was grateful to the red-haired shinobi, and reminded himself to thank him, whenever he returned.

Yet, his thoughts drifted back to Sasuke. He wondered briefly were the Uchiha boy was, and sincerely wished that he could be there with him, even if it was in the depths of hell. As long as it was the two of them, together, friends again, then it didn't matter. And slowly, something dawned on the young ninja…

_"Do you have a precious person?"_

_Of course, I have plenty of precious people in my life. But at the time, I think Haku was referring to something even more precious than I had realized. It only became clear when we fought him later what he meant. His "precious person" was one single being for whom he lived to protect and cared deeply, with all of his frozen heart. _

_I had no single precious person, because I cherished anyone who showed me kindness--Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke, among some others. At the time, however, I might have said that Sakura was my single precious person, only because I had a crush on her. Much later, I realized that that was not the case._

_Sasuke left, running away to the power Orochimaru promised him. I went after him, not for Sakura or anyone else, but for myself. In chasing him and then fighting him, I understood. The one person for whom I lived to protect and cared deeply. The one person whom I would not allow Orochimaru to have, even if it cost me my life. Sasuke had become my precious person._

_Even though we were rivals, even though we constantly insulted each other, even though he was trying to kill me at the time, I realized that I had a precious person, and it was not Sakura. Even though I lost him then, I swore that I would save him one day, before it was too late. _

_Now, everyday I have that thought pushing me to become strong enough to help him and lead him from the darkness in his own heart. I think that since he left me alive, that maybe he senses that one day I will help him, and he wants me to. Maybe I'm also his precious person, but he hasn't realized it yet._

* * *

I beleive that for now, this is the end of this story. I felt I had to finish it, and not just leave it hanging. I believe this and the previous chapter are both endings and beginnings. Kakashi and Iruka have come together in a sense, at the very start of a quite possibly very beautiful relationship, where there are endless possibilities before them, and Naruto and Sasuke clearly understand that their respective feelings for eachother go far deeper than the bond of friendship. Miki has allowed some of the special people around him into his heart, and can unwaveringly dedicate himself to protecting and helping them. I believe that there is a chance that he, too, may eventually find true love, now that he can love at all.

Maybe one day I will pick up where this story left off, but for now, I'm satisfied with it, as I hope you are. I thank you very much for your support in reading and reviewing my work, even if maybe it was not entirely to your liking. This was my first completed fanfiction, and looking back on it, I must say that I am very proud of it. As I read it myself, it is as though it is all new to me, and I cannot comprehend how I ever could have created something like this. But enough of my ramblings. Instead, I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this creation of mine.

Thank you, again, for taking the time to read "Shonen", I hope you enjoyed it.


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